Okay, so how does one gain the world and lose the soul? Does this mean that you are so distracted by the Dunya that you forget to nourish your soul? Does it mean you are too concerned with worldly matters that you forget your Akhirah? Does it mean that you gain all the materialistic goals but lose out on your spiritual goals?

Yes, it could mean all this and more. But how do you know whether you are headed in the right direction or not? How does one make sure that they gain closeness to the Creator without losing out on Dunya? This article will give you some answers.

>>>Understand the beautiful words of Allah SWT in as little as 10 minutes/day. Click here to learn more.

#1 Start early

Let’s start with how your day starts – Fajr. Have you woken up for Fajr today? Stories of successful people have one thing in common, whether they were businessmen, sportsmen, authors or entrepreneurs, they’ll swear that the biggest reason for their success has been waking up early and utilizing the early morning hours.

Fajr is our special gift from Allah SWT. When you begin your day by talking to your beloved Rabb, you’ll see the Barakah pouring in your day. You’ll notice that you feel energetic, fresh and happy. Your soul will feel nourished, and you’ll just seem to possess a lot of energy to do all your tasks. Somehow, the entire day will seem to go in a smooth manner.  That is because Allah has blessed us in our morning hours.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Allah made the early hours blessed for my Ummah.”(Ahmed)

Action points: If you have difficulty waking up for Fajr and find that your alarm clock doesn’t help you:

  • Make the intention to wake up every single day for Fajr. Every good deed starts with sincere intentions.
  • Make loads of dua and ask Allah to help you wake up for Fajr- nothing more powerful than Dua!
  • Make a Fajr buddy. Ask your friend to ring your phone at Fajr.

Starting your day at Fajr will help you gain special closeness to Allah, making it possible for you to complete all your worldly tasks with amazing efficiency.

#2 Monitor your time

You know the biggest problem folks have these days? We have too much time on our hands and don’t know where to channelize/prioritize our time and energy. Remember, on the Day of Judgment, you will be held accountable for every single second you spent here. You don’t want to regret there.

Countless hours are spent in mindlessly browsing through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. If you are spending a majority of your time aimlessly scrolling through your newsfeed, think about how is this helping your Dunya or Akhirah?

Action points:

Block out pockets of time to spend on social media and utilize the rest for indulging in acts that please Allah.

  •         Indulge in extra isthighfar
  •         Read the Quran
  •         Listen to a tafseer/lecture
  •         Memorize at least one verse each day
  •         Develop a new skill or nurture your hobby

You see, the options are limitless.

We are too quick to point out that there is no time to read the Quran or listen to a Tafseer but sit down and analyze where your time is going.

How much time do you spend on social media apps?

How much time do you spend on messages and chatting?

Was it beneficial?

Was it helping you come closer to Allah?

If not, then why are you spending so much time on something that’s not benefiting you in Dunya or Akhirah? Soon, these days will pass into months and years and before you know it,  you will be lowered in your grave and all you’ll have written next to your name would be the time spent on browsing through inconsequential matters.

#3 Volunteer or look out for jobs

Utilize your talent, time and resources in helping people succeed. If you have some free time and would love to volunteer, there are plenty of organizations online and offline that would benefit tremendously from what you can offer.

If volunteering isn’t really your thing, you can apply for jobs that require your talent in helping people move forward.

Action points

  •         Good at talking? Give Dawah.
  •         Good at writing, editing, graphic designing, etc? Help out with freelance work.
  •         Good at organizing events? Join with companies/organizations that need your presence.

There are plenty of organizations that need *you*. Work for them and earn through halal means. Gain in Dunya and Akhira!

You may also like: 6 Lessons To Learn from Surah Layl

# 4 Be nice to people

No, don’t roll your eyes.  You and I know we need to be nice to people, but how beneficial are we to people around us? What use is your graduate degree if you can’t be respectful and courteous to your parents? What use is your successful business if you can’t be kind and courteous to spouse and children? What’s the point of having a huge social friends circle if you can’t even be nice and gentle to your next door neighbor? How many of us even know who our neighbors are?

Allah says:

“Your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents…” (Quran, 17:23)

Our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) summarized good treatment of neighbors:

“He who believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him be kind to his neighbor; and he who believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him show hospitality to his guest; and he who believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him either speak good or remain silent.”

See, these deeds look small and insignificant, but they have been mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah for a reason – they *are* important and mighty in the eyes of Allah.

Action points

  • Go out of your way to be kind and courteous to your parents. Give them a phone call and talk to them, if you haven’t done so in a while. Make loads of Dua for them.
  • Show gratitude towards your spouse and children. Thank them when they do something that pleases you. Remember… happy spouse= happy life.  
  • Get to know your neighbors
  • Be polite with your co workers

The options are endless! Be nice to others and do it for the sake of Allah.

You must have heard of lectures on how you need to focus on Akhirah and not get too distracted with Dunya. After all, reaching paradise is the ultimate goal for every Muslim, yeah? Striving for paradise does not mean you need to forget this Dunya or not enjoy its blessings.

Allah has created everything on this planet and placed it for us to enjoy within our halal limits. Use them and remember to always be productive…with your time, health, resources and talent

>> Understand the Quran in as little as 10 minutes/day. Click here to learn more

Related Video: Put Your Trust In Allah | Nouman Ali Khan

 

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